State officials are bringing back a controversial initiative that will put traffic deaths face to face with Tennessee drivers on a daily basis.

Interstate message signs will begin posting daily tallies of state traffic fatalities again, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer. The figures had been posted only on Fridays for most of the year.

On Thursday, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security had logged 800 deaths on Tennessee roads, the same as the year-to-date total on Oct. 17, 2012.

“What that means is there are 800 people that have passed away and their families will not get the chance to watch them open Christmas presents or be at Thanksgiving dinner,” Schroer said. “We wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention.”

Deaths have spiked in the last half of the year, with monthly totals regularly topping 2012’s tallies. In the early months of the year, counts fell below the 2012 numbers.

On Facebook, commenters disagreed on the signs’ efficacy.

“I had a thought,” Chuck Schultz wrote. “How many deaths were due to the driver looking at the sign?”

Kate Bowman offered a different view:

“The TDOT signs aren’t a distraction. I can choose to look ahead and upward if safe to do so. No different than looking at road signs above. No one is being forced to read anything. I certainly do like the notice for traffic problems ahead. And I don’t have to stare at the sign; it only takes a glance.”

Schroer shrugged off the criticism that has greeted the signs in the past. During a news conference outside the Tennessee State Museum on Thursday, he was hopeful that the stark statistics would save lives.

“We just sat here and listened to a whole bunch of children run through this hallway,” Schroer said, referencing a field trip that had snaked through the lobby. “We want to make sure these children stay alive and their parents stay alive.”

Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott said there will be heightened enforcement during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Troopers will be posted every 20 miles along Interstate 40 during peak travel times on Wednesday and Sunday of that week.

Law enforcement officials said during the conference that they plan to target “high-risk drivers,” including those who drive drunk, text and drive, or drive without a seat belt.